1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for supporting recreational accessories such as grills and tables while they are being used for outdoor cooking, and more particularly, to a novel accessory support system which may be detachably mounted to a trailer hitch of a motor vehicle and easily assembled to support one or more such accessories.
2. Prior Art
Users of trailers, motor homes, campers, boats and other recreational vehicles often drive their vehicles to sporting events, camp sites and other locations where outdoor activities will take place. Many times these activities take place in the area surrounding the vehicle's parking site. Thus it is often convenient and desirable to prepare and consume meals in the vicinity of the vehicle. Cooking and eating outside of the vehicle frees the vehicle for other purposes and reduces the risk of fire or smoke damage to the vehicle which could occur if these activities were conducted inside the vehicle.
Cooking and dining outdoors may be accomplished with conventional coal or gas grills, portable tables and similar apparatus. However, these items have certain disadvantages when used out of doors. For example, such items can be bulky and therefore difficult to store and transport due to the nature of the required support structures, i.e. grill stands, table bases, etc. which form a part of these accessories. Additionally, they often can be easily overturned by wind unless securely anchored to the ground.
Portable grill tops, especially those without accompanying supporting structures such as carts or grill stands, or table tops, are better suited for storage inside a vehicle due to their small size and reduced storage space requirements. However, when these items are removed from the vehicle and positioned for cooking they must be adequately supported for safe operation. Accordingly, a grill must either be placed on the vehicle itself for support, or on the ground, or placed upon some other convenient support means. Likewise, a table top must be engaged with a supporting means. Locating such supporting means may be difficult, especially around campsites, sporting events or in other remote surroundings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263467 to Jones discloses a gas grill assembly comprising a housing, a grill, and a retractor arm assembly. The housing encloses the assembly and is permanently mountable in the wall of a recreation vehicle. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring a considerable amount of space since the housing is permanently located in the wall of the vehicle. Further, no provision is for an eating surface such as a table top.
Unlike the assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263467, the present invention provides a system having one or more detachable and interchangeable accessory units which can be detachably mounted to any type of vehicle equipped with a trailer hitch or other hitch means. Also, the system of the present invention can be quickly and easily disassembled and stored in any convenient space such as, for example, the spare tire well or the trunk of the vehicle. The present invention also provides a means of conveniently supporting portable table tops, and other recreational accessories.